Port apparatus for extracting materials from radioactive enclosures



Dec. 6, 1966 D. F. SKINNER, JR. ET AL PORT APPARATUS FOR EXTRAGTING MATERIALS FROM RADIOACTIVE ENCLOSURES Filed Aug. 20, 1963 INVENTOR. WARREN Z. WADE BY THOMAS W WOLF DEWEY F SK/NNER JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,290,502 PORT APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING MATE- RIALS FROM RADIOACTIVE ENCLOSURES Dewey F. Skinner, Jr., Thomas W. Wolf, and Warren Z.

Wade, Livermore, Calif., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commission Filed Aug. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 303,459 5 Claims. (Cl. 250-108) This invention was evolved in the course of, or under, Contract W7405ENG48 with the United States Atomic Energy Commission.

This invention relates to means of communication with enclosed areas and more particularly, to a port system for removing samples from contaminated enclosed atmospheres.

In Working with enclosed atmospheres which are toxic, radioactive, or contaminated, it is often necessary to extract or introduce an item in the area. This situation may arise, for example, when a radiation hotbox or glove box contains a material of which a sample is desired outside the enclosure. In the event that either the sample itself or the environment inside the enclosure is dangerous, an extraction port is required which will provide means for removing the sample without contaminating the operator or the extraction instruments.

Many problems must be considered and effectively solved in order to provide a satisfactory port. It must allow objects to pass freely in and out of the enclosed area, and yet, prevent the internal atmosphere from escaping. A container must be provided to receive the sample removed through the port, and if the sample is toxic, or radioactive, the container must protect the handler from injury. A means must also be provided to shield the external surfaces of the container from contamination when a transfer of the sample is being effected. A seal is necessary between the extraction port and the sample container to hold the latter in place when it is positioned in the port, but the container must be removable and readily exchangeable to provide an eflicient operation. The invention supplies apparatus meeting the foregoing requirements in a manner so that a radioactive or otherwise hazardous material may be removed from the enclosure in a safe and elficacious manner.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a sample extractor port which communicates with an enclosed contaminated area to permit a sample to be passed into and out of the area without escape of contaminants.

Another object of the invention is to provide contamination protection for adjacent internal and external surfaces of the mouth of the container used to extract a sample through a port.

A further object of the invention is to provide a replaceable seal shield for use in operations associated with the removal of samples from enclosed hazardous atmospheres and which protects a removable containerthat can be exchanged without handling.

A still further object is to provide a sample extractor port of the character described which protects the handler from exposure to radiation, contamination, or injury.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the following description and accompanying drawing forming part of the specification, The single figure, of which the drawing is partly broken away to disclose internal constructional details, shows the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Briefly, the port system of the invention is utilized with a radiation hotbox, glove box or other shielded and/or controlled atmosphere enclosure. The system includes a sleeved port in said enclosure adapted to receive a removable container. To accomplish the said objects of the invention an appropriately constructed sample container is provided with a flexible seal shield which is closely fitted to the mouth of said container. The seal shield provides a means of sealing and positioning said container within the sleeve of said port and other purposes described more fully hereinafter. Ordinarly, sample containers of a cup-shaped cylindrical configuration having a circular mouth opening may be used in the system.

For a more specific understanding of the system of the invention, reference is made to the single figure of the drawing showing a cutaway of a sample extractor port sleeve 11 projecting through an enclosure wall 12. Normally, the port is positioned as projecting into the enclosed area at an angle inclined to the vertical axis so that the mouth 13 of a removable container 14,.isdisposed therein opens upward. This is for convenience in placing and keeping the samples therein. Any practical angle can be used, or the wall of the enclosure may be slanted to provide this receptacle positioning characteristic.

The interior end of the port, i.e., that end of the cylindrical housing sleeve 11 projecting into the enclosure is internally tapered in region 16, providing constricted orifice 17. In addition, the interior end of the cylindrical housing sleeve 11, outwardly of the tapered portion, has formed therein an internal circumferential annular groove 18 to receive and retain a mating flanged portion of seal shield 19. Other similar frictional engagement means could be used to position the seal shield. The uppermost insert restraining wall 21 of the annular groove 18 may be eliminated by tapering orifice 17 to the bottom of the annular groove 18 without materially affecting oper tion. The housing sleeve 11 may also be internally tapered at 22, outwardly of groove 18 to position the mouth 13 of the removable container 14.

In its simplest form the seal shield 19 is of a generally annular tubular form. Seal shield 19 extends outwardly 'as an annulus 23 adapted to fit within the mouth 13 of container lfl with a slip-fit clearance. An exterior annular flanged or rib portion 24 of seal shield 19 is arranged to engage groove 13 of sleeve 11 for purposes mentioned above. The seal shield 19 may be disposed about the mouth of containen14-- either before or after insertion into sleeve 11 as discussed elsewhere herein. The seal shield 19 is made of flexible resilient plastic material so that it can be easily deformed when pushed into the sleeve 11 until external flange 24 engages the annular groove 18. The flange 24 which effects the positioning and retaining of the seal shield 19 within the port, by engaging annular groove 18, also serves other functions. It seals the sample container 14 from the enclosed atmosphere by preventing contaminant flow between the seal shield flange 24 and the internal wall of the sleeve 11. This seal is increased when the removable container 14 is inserted if a tapered outer surface 26 is provided around the mouth 13 of the container 14 to force the depending skirt portion of flange 24 to expand into the annular groove 18. The skirt portion of flange 24 performs a further function of covering the external surface 26 of the container immediately surrounding its mouth 13, and thereby preventing contamination thereof. The wedging action of the mouth 13 of the container 14 over the projecting annulus 23 of seal shield 19 and under its projecting flange 24 serves also to hold the container 14 in the port 11 by friction until it is forcibly removed. This projection annulus 23 on the outward side of the seal shield 19 also performs other functions. It prevents contaminants from coming in contact with the internal surfaces of the mouth 13 of the container 14 adjacent to its lip 27 (that surface of minimum radius of curvature), and at the same time serves as a seal between these same surfaces of the shield 19 and the container 14 to prevent contaminant escape. It also serves as a positioning guide to align the mouth 13 of container 14 around the projecting annulus 23 of seal shield 19 when the container is inserted into the port 11 independently of seal shield 19. The tapered portion 22 of the sleeve assists in this manipulation. The taper of the projecting annulus 23 guides the mouth of the container 14 when it is inserted to effect the seals between the seal shield annulus 23 and the container 14, and between the container 14 and the seal shield flange 24. When the container 14 is removed, seal shield 19 is restrained inside the port 11 due to the annular groove 18 in the sleeve 11 preventing flange 24 of the seal shield 19 from being withdrawn. The sample is passed therethrough. If it is possible that the seal shield has become contaminated, a container with a fresh seal shield in position can be inserted into the port. Due to the deformable nature of the material, the first seal shield will be pushed into the enclosed area without additional handling, and the second one takes its place.

With the foregoing arrangement, upon insertion of the container, the edges of the seal shield engage circumferential annular groove 18, and due to the pliable nature and flexible periphery of the seal shield, it forms a, seal between the port wall and the container and holds the latter in position by friction. The container is usually made of lead or other radiation shielding material to protect the handler against radiation, but it can be made of other material appropriate to the substance being processed. The specimen or sample is then inserted into or removed from the container through an aperture in the seal shield by remote manipulator handling devices, or by direct handling through the integral gloves of a glove box. The container is removed with the specimen inside and immediately sealed utilizing any suitable closure meai When the container is withdrawn from the sleeve of'the port, the insert is restrained in the sleeve. This causes the contamination to be restrained within the port and prevents the possibility of contamination contacting the mouth of the sample container. A negative pressure within the enclosure is generally beneficial in helping prevent contaminants from flowing out of the port when it is uncovered.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been described, these are merely illustrative and various modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In port apparatus for extracting materials from a contaminated hazardous environment within an enclosure including a wall defining an aperture therethrough, the combination c'omprisingz i (a) a generally cylindrical elongated tubular sleev disposed in said aperture at an angle inclined to the vertical axis, with the exterior surface mounted in sealed relation to said wall, with a first end opening upwardly into said environment and a second end opening downwardly outside said enclosure, and with a first inwardly projecting ridge portion proximate said first end, and a second ridge portion downwardly 4 therefrom on interior surfaces of said sleeve, having circumferential shoulder portions in spaced generally parallel relation and defining, with enlarged circumferential sleeve wall surfaces therebetween, a recessed groove, the shoulder of said second ridge having a smaller inside diameter than said first shoulder;

(b) containermeans having at least a generally cylindrical tubular mouth portion disposed in said sleeve, 1 and closed container portions projecting outwardly from the second end of said sleeve;

(c) a sealshield comprising a generally annular tube 1 of flexible resilient material having at the upper end an outwardly flanged annular rib portion deformable for insertion Within said second end of said sleeve to enter and fit within said recessed groove, and an elongated tubular skirt portion of lesser diameter than said rib portion, extending downwardly to fit Within and engage interior surfaces of the mouth of said container to seal and support said container in engagement with said sleeve and to shield mouth portions of said container from contamination, and with the lower end of said annular rib portion defining a circumferential shoulder abutting said second ridge shoulder of smaller diameter and thereby provide selective retention of said seal shield against withdrawal through said second sleeve end.

2. Port apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said rib portion of said seal shield includes a skirt portion depending downwardly in spaced relation to said tubular portion to engage exterior mouth portions of said container.

3. Port apparatus as defined in claim 1, further defined in that said first ridge portion of said sleeve tapers inwardly between the upper side of said groove and the first end of said sleeve.

4. Port apparatus as defined in claim 1, further defined in that the exterior surfaces proximate the mouth of said container means are tapered inwardly.

5. Port apparatus as defined in claim 1, further defined in that the second ridge internal surface of said sleeve is tapered outwardly from said shoulder of smaller diameter toward the second end of said container, to facilitate insertion of said seal shield to engage said recessed groove.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,937,939 12/1933 Behreus 22023.83

2,429,782 10/1947 Versoy 285163 2,784,012 3/1957 Killian 285-369 3,076,668 2/1963 Famely 248-56 X 3,101,387 8/1963 Mihran 174l51 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,125,061 10/1956 France.

RALPH G. NILSON, Primary Examiner. JAMES W. LAWRENCE, Examiner.

S. ELBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN PORT APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING MATERIALS FROM A CONTAMINATED HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT WITHIN AN ENCLOSURE INCLUDING A WALL DEFINING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL ELONGATED TUBULAR SLEEVE DISPOSED IN SAID APERTURE AT AN ANGLE INCLINED TO THE VERTICAL AXIS, WITH THE EXTERIOR SURFACE MOUNTED IN SEALED RELATION TO SAID WALL, WITH A FIRST END OPENING UPWARDLY INTO SAID ENVIRONMENT AND A SECOND END OPENING DOWNWARDLY OUTSIDE SAID ENCLOSURE, AND WITH A FIRST INWARDLY PROJECTING RIDGE PORTION PROXIMATE SAID FIRST END, AND A SECOND RIDGE PORTION DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM ON INTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID SLEEVE, HAVING CIRCUMFERENTIAL SHOULDER PORTIONS IN SPACED GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATION AND DEFINING, WITHE ENLARGED CIRCUMFERENTIAL SLEEVE WALL SURFACES THEREBETWEEN, A RECESSED GROOVE, THE SHOULDER OF SAID SEOND RIDGE HAVING A SMALLER INSIDE DIAMETER THAN SAID FIRST SHOULDER; (B) CONTAINER MEANS HAVING AT LEAST A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL TUBULAR MOUTH PORTIONS DISPOSDED IN SAID SLEEVE, AND CLOSED CONTAINER PORTIONS PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM THE SECOND END OF SAID SLEEVE; (C) A SEAL SHIELD COMPRISING A GENERALLY ANNULAR TUBE OF FLEXIBLE RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING AT THE UPPER END AN OUTWARDLY FLANGED ANNULAR RIB PORTION DEFORMABLE FOR INSERTION WITHIN SAID SECOND END OF SAID SLEEVE TO ENTER AND FIT WITHIN SAID RECESSED GROOVE, AND AN ELONGATED TUBULAR SKIRT PORTION OF LESSER DIAMETER THAN SAID RIB PORTION, EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY TO FIT WITHIN SAID ENGAGE INTERIOR SURFACES OF THE MOUTH OF SAID CONTAINER TO SEAL AND SUPPORT SAID CONTAINER IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SLEEVE AND TO SHIELD MOUTH PORTIONS OF SAID CONTAINER FROM CONTAMINATION, AND WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID ANNULAR RIB PORTION DEFINING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL SHOULDER ABUTTING SAID SECOND RIDGE SHOULDER OF SMALLER DIAMETER AND THEREBY PROVIDE SELECTIVE RETENTION OF SAID SEAL SHIELD AGAINST WITHDRAWAL THROUGH SAID SECOND SLEEVE END. 